Vince Cable might not have much hair, but I’m glad he let down what little he does have during his entertaining speech at the Liberal Democrats’ party conference.

There’s absolutely no reason to feel sorry for the coalition “partners” but some sensitive souls may wonder how they balance their day-to-day working relationship with the “let’s slag each other off” conference season.

Business secretary Cable has done plenty of business with the Tories since he and his chums got into bed with them, but he wasn’t going to let the risk of being branded a hypocrite stop him from sticking the boot in and causing a major domestic.

And his speech certainly livened up the currently sterile world of party politics – as did his, albeit secretly-recorded, comments of three years ago when he boasted: “I have declared war on Mr Murdoch.”

He’s like an amiable and, ultimately, harmless uncle who enlivens stiff and formal family occasions with his outspoken views – which upset those with a delicate disposition, but delight those who were on the brink of falling asleep.

In Glasgow on Monday, Cable used words like “nasty”, “Rottweiler” and “ugly” – but who could he have been talking about?

Let him explain: “(Home Secretary) Theresa May once characterised the Tories a decade ago as the nasty party. After a few years trying to be nice and inclusive it has reverted to type. We have got dog-whistle politics, orchestrated by an Australian Rottweiler (Tory election strategist Lynton Crosby), we have got hostility to organised labour, people on benefits and immigrant minorities.”

Cable said the Tories disapproved of public sector workers, especially teachers, the unmarried and people who don’t own property. And he claimed their “prejudices” were explained in part by the advanced age of their members and in part by their belief that in difficult times “fear trumps hope” and “competence requires callousness”.

“That is not our kind of politics,” he added. “It is ugly, and we will not be dragged down by it.”

No, they will just be a part of it – keeping pretty quiet until it’s time to try and raise the flagging morale of party members at the annual conference.

Some might say the coalition’s credibility couldn’t sink any lower – but there is always the prospect of a revenge attack from a high-profile Tory when the Conservative Party’s panto rolls into Manchester.

At least Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has no worries on this matter – his credibility rating hit zero when voters recalled that, in April 2010, he said his party would not only oppose any increase in tuition fees, but scrap them for good.

Politics is about choice – but what kind of choice do we currently have?

The Nasty Party or The Party Led By A Bloke Few Can Picture In No.10 or The No Credibility Party.